


Flannel Mishaps

by isnt_that_wizard



Series: We'll Always Be More Than A Band (JATP) [4]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Band as a Family, Bisexual Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Coming Out, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Love, Luke and Reggie are really cute y'all, M/M, Making Out, Pansexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Rated Teen for Language and Implied Sexual Content, Sharing Clothes, happy boyfriends, kind of, luke and alex are exes, slightly steamy, supportive family, we love amicable exes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:33:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26864455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isnt_that_wizard/pseuds/isnt_that_wizard
Summary: Before either of them could stumble into an answer, Alex stood up from his stool, taking a step closer to them. His eyes were narrowed and his head had tilted as he watched them with a careful eye.“Are you guys. . . wearing each other’s flannels?” the drummer asked curiously.Luke and Reggie’s heads snapped back to look at each other again.----------Luke and Reggie have been together for around a month, which has been filled with happiness and joy. The only problem? They haven't exactly gotten around to telling Alex or Julie yet. When they're late for a gig and show up wearing each other's flannels, however, it might just take care of the problem for them.
Relationships: Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex & Luke Patterson & Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Past Alex/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms) - Relationship
Series: We'll Always Be More Than A Band (JATP) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956307
Comments: 44
Kudos: 667





	Flannel Mishaps

**Author's Note:**

> This popped into my head watching that interview where Charlie and Jer talked about switching jackets to sneak into the background of a scene they weren't needed for

If you asked either of them, they’d tell you that no, neither had ever expected it to happen. Sure, there had been looks, fleeting moments, and thoughts that never went further than floating around their brains. But those thoughts and looks had been silly, one-sided, and nothing was ever going to come from them. At least, it wasn’t supposed to. 

They weren’t even sure what happened, honestly. One day, maybe a month or so ago, it just. . . did. Luke and Reggie had been hanging around at the beach while Julie was at school and Alex was off with Willie. They’d brought their guitars and were just playing whatever songs came to mind- and making plenty of songs up on the spot. They thought it was funny to watch all the lifers around them get so confused as to where the music was coming from. But as they finished jamming out to an old, unused Sunset Curve song, Luke jumped almost immediately into something new. It took Reggie a minute to recognize it, but he soon felt himself laughing as Luke exaggeratingly sang an old 80s love ballad. Reggie didn’t attempt to join in; he didn’t know the song very well, but Luke didn’t seem to mind. He turned himself fully towards Reggie, singing the song to him with a smirk on his face that made Reggie roll his eyes and laugh. 

But then, all of the sudden it seemed, Luke’s tone got less joke-y. Reggie found himself actually listening to the lyrics, and he didn’t stop watching Luke as he played and sang. Instead of making themselves laugh, they felt themselves getting flushed. Neither of them could describe it as one big moment- there was no internal, breathtaking _“Oh”_ or heart-fluttering lead up. It was just that one minute Luke was singing Reggie a cheesy love ballad to make the bassist laugh, and the next their grips on their guitars had been giving up for a grip on _each other_ , pushing into a messy, frantic, but happy kiss. It just happened. 

And just like they didn’t talk about it beforehand, they didn’t talk about it after. They didn’t need to. Luke and Reggie had always had the uncanny ability to practically see right into each other’s heads. One look and a shared smile when they pulled away from the kiss told them everything- that that had been nothing less than _amazing_ , that maybe they’d wanted this for far longer than either of them realized, that it felt right, that they were _happy._ Goofy, butterflies in your stomach, I really want to kiss you again, happy. Everything about it felt natural in ways neither Luke nor Reggie had ever felt before. 

That said, they’d been together for around a month now, and they still hadn’t told Alex or Julie. They’d just been sneaking around, stealing kisses when they could, holding hands behind the others’ backs, and sharing shy smiles across the stage. It wasn’t that they were scared, per say, to tell their bandmates. They figured they’d be supported by both their friends. It was just. . . awkward. Luke had now successfully had some sort of thing with all three of his fellow bandmates. Luke and Alex had dated for almost six months when they were 15, and Luke and Julie had had that brief, but definitely there chemistry that floated around them when they sang or wrote together. The chemistry between them was still there, kind of, but now it was filled with far more friendship than anything else. 

Even still, Luke and Reggie hadn’t quite figured out how to tell Alex- Luke’s ex and both of their best friend- and Julie- Luke’s almost, once, could-have-been ex and their literal reason for afterlife- that they were together now. So they just kept sneaking around, telling each other _“Tomorrow. We’ll tell them tomorrow”_ and falling deeper and deeper into their newfound relationship. 

That was exactly what they found themselves doing now- hiding up in the loft, pressed against each other. Julie was out with her dad and brother, and Alex was- well, they weren’t even sure where but probably with Willie. Both had left them alone with the reminder that they had a gig at six, so _don’t be late._ None of that was going through their heads right now, though. Not when Luke kissed Reggie like _that_ and when Reggie buried his fingers in Luke’s hair, scratching his scalp ever so lightly with his nails. 

Reggie was sitting on the floor, back up against the wall. Luke was bracketing Reggie’s legs with his own, raised up above him on his knees as he pressed kiss after kiss after kiss to Reggie’s mouth. Both of them were panting against each other, hands roaming wherever they could reach. Luke’s shirt and flannel had long since been abandoned, leaving Reggie to run his fingertips over Luke’s abs- which were _way_ too toned and hot for a teenager who had never eaten anything but junk food and never worked out while he was alive. Reggie’s shirt was likely to follow behind shortly; Luke had already pushed off and thrown Reggie’s leather jacket and flannel somewhere. They were in full make-out mode. 

Considering it had been a while for either of them before that kiss on the beach, they were _good_ at this. Luke tangled his hand in the hairs at the base of his head, tilting Reggie’s head up to deepen the kiss seemingly impossibly further. As crass as it sounded, Reggie was sure he would never tire of the feeling of Luke’s tongue darting into his mouth. Both of them bit back a groan as Luke pulled just slightly on Reggie’s hair and as Reggie gripped Luke’s hip tighter. 

Reggie broke his mouth away from Luke’s- if for no other reason than he needed to _breathe_ before he passed out- sighing out as he whispered, “Shit- Luke. . .”

Luke laughed breathlessly as he began trailing his mouth along Reggie’s cheekbone, jaw, and slowly but surely down his neck. Reggie let his eyes fall shut and his head fall back, giving Luke better access. 

“God, Reg. . .” Luke breathed out, in a way that could only be described as admiration. If they weren’t already so. . . debauched, Reggie would have blushed or retreated back in shyness. He wasn’t used to the admiring, loving looks Luke would shoot his way, and he knew how to handle a compliment from him even less. Reggie wrapped his arms around Luke’s waist. He was really tempted to just give a light tug, which he knew would cause Luke to fall right into his lap. The exact right parts of them would be pressed against each other in ways Reggie knew drove them both crazy. But he knew if he did, they really wouldn’t be able to stop and then-

“Shit!” Reggie exclaimed, sitting up quickly. As he did, he managed to knock their heads together _hard_ , causing Luke to jerk back with a hand held to his forehead. Reggie winced in apology, reaching his hand up to touch Luke's head. 

"Oh god, I'm sorry, are you okay?"

Luke was frowning and looked confused, but he nodded. "Yeah, yeah, it's fine. Are _you_ okay? What the hell was that?"

Reggie's eyes widened as he once again remembered the reason he had stopped Luke's tugs on his shirt and ever mind-melting kisses. 

"The show!" he exclaimed. "We have to be at the gig in-" he stretched his neck to see the clock on the garage wall, "-shit, eight minutes!" 

Luke's eyes grew wide, and he released a few choice curse words of his own in his scramble to get off Reggie. 

“Julie’s gonna kill us!” Luke grumbled, Reggie throwing him his abandoned muscle tee. 

“Alex will do worse,” Reggie replied. 

They were frantic and rushing to find their missing clothes, resituating their pants in a futile attempt to hide their. . . well. They stood facing each other, straightening out various items of clothing and their necklaces, Luke reaching up to attempt to tame Reggie’s messed up hair. Luke could get away with it; his hair was always a mess. They still looked thoroughly messy- kiss-drunk and out of breath- but it would have to do. They were supposed to be on the stage in five minutes! They barely took the time to look each other over before they nodded, poofing out of the garage. 

They reappeared backstage of the coffee house/bar they were playing in. Alex was sitting on a stool, drumming on his knees in a way he did when he was nervous. Julie was pacing back and forth, arms crossed and a deep frown on her face. 

“Hey!” Alex let out when he caught sight of them. Julie spun around to face them, and both guitarists cringed at her furious look. 

“Where the hell have you guys been?! You missed soundcheck! You were supposed to be here half an hour ago! I told you- I _told you_ not to be late.” 

The boys just looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Since the school dance, Julie had been really sensitive about punctuality especially when it came to them. They made an effort to always be on time for her; it would make her anxious if they weren’t. Before either of them could stumble into an answer, Alex stood up from his stool, taking a step closer to them. His eyes were narrowed and his head had tilted as he watched them with a careful eye. 

“Are you guys. . . wearing each other’s flannels?” the drummer asked curiously. 

Luke and Reggie’s heads snapped back to look at each other again. In their frantic state of redress, they had, in fact, put each other’s flannels on. It was a miracle they hadn’t noticed yet; Luke wore his too big anyway which made Reggie practically swim in it, and Luke’s biceps were clearly not enjoying the tightly pulled fabric of Reggie’s flannel. Their eyes snapped up to meet, a silent scream of _“What the hell do we do?”_ before turning back to a confused Alex and a frustrated Julie. 

“Um, we-”

“Well, I mean-”

Alex’s jaw dropped open. He looked quickly back and forth between them, glancing at their fidgeting hands, messed up hair, and mixed up shirts. _“Oh._ Oh. Oh my god.”

It took even more effort now to meet their bandmate’s eyes. Of course Alex had figured it out. He always read them like a book; they were impressed he hadn’t picked up on it yet. But this- this was possibly the most embarrassing way he could have found out. They really had wanted to be the one to tell him. Both of their eyes shot around the room- anywhere but Alex- too afraid to see something bad in his eyes. The room was completely silent for what felt like forever, and Reggie and Luke put more and more space between them. The silence was broken up by a knock on the door.

“Julie!” came a voice through the door. “You’re on in one!”

Reggie and Luke glanced up at their lead singer, who glared at them with pursed lips for a moment. Finally she let out a sigh. 

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but _please_ , don’t mess this gig up, okay?”

They stayed silent as they both nodded, watching Julie walk out the door. Then it was just them and Alex. They glanced at each other before finally looking at their best friend. What they were met with wasn’t shock or disgust or anger at them not telling him, though. They were met with Alex very clearly trying and failing to hide a smirk. His eyes had a teasing glint in them that made both of them relax. Alex wasn’t upset. The drummer laughed to himself, shaking his head. 

“We are _not_ done talking about this,” Alex said happily. “But right now, we’re on.”

He grabbed both their hands, poofing them onto stage, all magically appearing with their instruments. 

The show. . . wasn’t their best, to say the least. It certainly wasn’t the worst- they still got a standing ovation, did an encore. But Julie was more tense than usual, Luke messed up the harmony during Finally Free, and Reggie definitely missed a cue or two. They avoided sharing a mic during the songs like they normally would, and Julie and Luke didn't do their usual back and forth either. They did pretty well considering, though. As soon as their last song was finished and they did their bows, the boys were all poofing out, heading back to their makeshift green room to wait for Julie. It was almost instinctual that when they poofed back in, Luke and Reggie were within inches of each other. Alex, who had appeared across the room, caught sight of this and smirked at them. Luke and Reggie tried to very casually put space between them as Julie walked back into the room. 

"Well," the girl said, "that could have gone better." 

Reggie and Luke cringed a little, but at least Julie didn't look upset anymore. She just looked confused and a little annoyed. She walked over to the small couch in the room, smoothing out her skirt as she sat. She looked between the three of them. Reggie, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Luke, who desperately wanted to reach out and grab Reggie's hand but was stopping himself every time he moved his arm a little. Alex, who was looking at his two best friends like he was having the _time of his life_.

“Will one of you please tell me what’s going on?” Julie sighed out, sounding exasperated. She looked to Alex, who shrugged and shook his head, gesturing to the guitarists. Luke took a deep breath, looking to Reggie. Reggie, who was already looking at him. Their ability for silent communication was impressive. One look and they knew what the other was thinking. Silently, they moved into each other’s space. Eyes trained on each other, Luke wrapped his arm around Reggie’s waist, pulling them against each other. With a shared smile, they turned to look at Julie. 

“Luke and I. . .” Reggie started, shrugging a little bit with a happy grin. 

“We’re dating,” Luke finished. 

The nerves were flowing within them, intertwining with happiness and relief that they weren’t hiding anymore. Alex’s grin was wide and giddy at hearing the words. Julie didn’t say anything at first, just looking at them. Her head tilt matched Alex’s from earlier as she regarded them. Luke trailed his hand down from Reggie’s waist to intertwine their hands. He squeezed it nervously as the silence continued to lapse in the room. Finally, Julie reacted. 

“Huh,” she let out, bobbing her head up and down ever so slightly. “Yeah, that actually makes sense. That makes a _lot_ of sense.”

Alex laughed brightly behind her, and relief filled both Luke and Reggie. Julie’s until-then practically blank face formed into a smile as she looked at them. Letting out a sigh, Reggie looked at Luke and smiled. 

“Sorry we didn’t tell you guys,” Luke apologized, returning Reggie’s bright smile. 

“It’s okay,” Alex said, “I get it. Plus now I don’t have to watch you two dance around each other or _pine_ anymore.”

His tone was teasing, but nevertheless they were quick to object to their best friend’s words. 

“Hey! There was no pining-”

“Pining! I have never pined-”

“Shut up, Alex-”

“Yeah, like you were any better with Willie-”

They cut themselves off at the sight of Alex listening to them with a smile. He was happy for them, they could tell. Genuinely, totally happy and supportive. Even if his smile wasn’t enough, Alex came rushing over to wrap them both in a hug. Both of them melted into the embrace, grasping each other’s wrists behind Alex’s back to trap the drummer against them. 

“Love you guys,” Alex said. 

“Love you, too” they both mumbled into Alex’s shoulders. After a moment, they all loosened their grip on each other, turning to face Julie in silent invitation. She watched them with a raised eyebrow for a moment before breaking into a smile with a roll of her eyes. 

“If you guys are ever late for a gig like this again, I’ll figure out a way to kill you guys all over again.” Julie moved into the hug, pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks. 

Go figure they would get outed by mistaking their flannels- which, they noted, they had yet to switch back. Nothing about this relationship had gone as expected, though, so really, they should have expected something like this to happen. And just like everything else, of course it worked out for them. As they broke out of the hug, Reggie and Luke stayed latched to each other. At the happy smile on Luke’s race, Reggie couldn’t resist leaning in and pressing his lips to Luke’s cheek. Luke turned that smile on to him, a new layer of joy added to it that Reggie recognized as belonging only to him. 

Julie and Alex caught on to it, clearly, because they shared a look before mumbling something about seeing them back at home. Luke and Reggie weren’t paying much attention as Alex poofed out or Julie left the room to find her family. 

“Next time you wanna make out with me,” Reggie teased, “let’s make sure it’s _after_ we perform?”

Luke laughed, taking a step closer to Reggie. Their faces were barely an inch apart, and Luke’s eyes flitted around Reggie’s face. There was a smirk on his face as he leaned in. Reggie would barely need to move to press their lips together. It made his breath stutter, and he rested his hands on Luke’s hips with a smile. 

“Well, it’s after the performance right now,” Luke’s voice was low and quiet, and the sound that came out of Reggie’s mouth was involuntary. Luke let out a breathy chuckle, but instead of just _kissing him_ , Luke ghosted his mouth over Reggie’s neck- the juncture just below his jaw. 

“Luke, I swear to god if you don’t kiss me right now. . .”

Luke laughed again, raising his head back up from Reggie’s neck. Their noses rubbed together, but _still_ , their mouths stayed apart. 

  
“Alex had plans tonight- the loft will be free,” Luke mumbled. Reggie hummed, giving up on waiting for Luke. He surged into the other, banging their noses together a little as their lips finally collided. Luke smiled into the kiss; Reggie realized that him giving in was _exactly_ what Luke had wanted. Luke’s hands were gripping onto his own flannel- still draped over Reggie’s body- like it was a life force as they got lost in the kiss. Their lips were still locked and their bodies were still pressed together as they poofed out of the back room, stumbling with laughter and messy kisses as they reappeared in the loft.

**Author's Note:**

> Not me writing literally any ship from JATP because they are all super cute and valid
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone! I appreciate all the love <3


End file.
